Lee has many cherished cricketing memories from his childhood in Australia which include white cockatoos in gum trees, the noise of cicadas and zinc cream pasted on his nose during backyard cricket matches with his brothers, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.

Though Lee feels that immigration is slowly but surely changing the demographics of the country, still he maintained that the people who absorbed the Australian values were the ones who prospered in the country.

“I love it when you meet people who come from overseas but they proudly describe themselves as Aussies … as someone born here it makes me proud to think people want to identify as Australians,” said Lee.

“Whether you were born in Australia or came here when you were six months, 16 years old or whatever, it doesn’t matter … if you choose to live in this beautiful country, choose to call yourself an Australian and use what makes you a unique person to contribute to the nation, you’re welcome.

“We’ve had Aunty Joy speak on behalf of her people a few times and I’ve found that to be very special and important. Australia Day can be seen as a time where we think of the first settlers from Britain and the contribution of the immigrants who followed, but I respect the Aboriginal culture.

“I’ve been in the deep north when we gave kids Weet-Bix for the first time, but it was insightful to see how they follow their culture and it must be encouraged,” added Lee who maintains that the Aborgine community of Australia should be respected.

Lee also concludes that he win aim to up the ante by attempting to bowl at speeds higher than 150 km/h, to help his team, the Sydney Sixers, win the Big Bash League title.

First Published on January 25, 2014, 4:47 pmLast updated on January 25, 2014, 4:48 pm